Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Erding.
Hi Alyssa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My path has been divinely guided, ever since I was a little girl. Healing is in my past lives, and it’s what makes the most sense and comes the most natural to me in this one.
I started my first massage business with my cousin at our family cabin: The Sparkling Waters Spa. We were just eight years old. Tasha and I cooked up the idea on the bow of *Big Blue*–my grandfather’s boat–on our customary ride home after a long day spent tubing, cliff jumping, and picking blueberries in Voyageurs National Park. The service menu included head scratches, back rubs, and foot rubs–and while I had forgotten about that part of my path for a long while, it’s now something that I recall fondly, and often.
Growing up, I always had an affinity for both the natural world and for helping people. I thought, perhaps, I would be a doctor of some kind. I tested those waters in college, where I underwent an EMT training my freshman J term… I hated it. The sterility of medicine and the general vibe of the ER that we toured were so off-putting that I recoiled. I found myself longing for windows and nature, and thought it meant that I would hang up the hat of healing work forever.
For a while, I did. I studied geology, sustainability, and Spanish, uncertain where life would take me. I played volleyball and softball in college, and my sophomore year I suffered a serious bran injury from a volleyball to the face (I know, it was an iconic moment. if anyone finds the film, please send it my way!). I make light of the situation now, but it was devastating. I couldn’t read normally, had horrific headaches for months, lost memories of childhood (including the Sparkling Waters Spa), and completely changed as a person. The rest of college was a fog – I had to limit the number of classes I took (never more than three at a time), battled issues with memory, vision, and cognition, and never really found my footing.
That is, until I began my first yoga teacher training in 2016. In a word, it felt like home. The teachings, the community, the entire system just made so much sense to me! This was the first time I had been introduced to health and wellness as something that was inseparable from the world around me. It was the thread that started to weave my love for the outdoors with my love for helping people, and eventually spun the company I have now: Aether Wellness.
After yoga teacher training, I finished my senior year at Macalester College and found myself working odd jobs and asking myself “what now?” I dreamt of helping people through food, applied for a holistic nutrition program in Seattle, and got ready to shift my life to the west coast. However, that summer my best friend suffered a tragic loss, and I just couldn’t leave her. I needed to stay in MN. There wasn’t a nutrition program that I liked here, so I eventually set my sights on massage therapy, enrolling in Centerpoint Massage and Shiatsu Therapy School and Clinic (let’s just call it Centerpoint, yeah?) in the fall of 2019–the *before* times. Weeks before that program began, I competed in a storytelling competition where just minutes before going onstage I suddenly recalled the Sparkling Waters Spa, threw out my rehearsed story, and told the tale my younger self and her cousin, cooking up the infamous venture that started it all. Divinely guided.
Covid threw a mighty wrench into the program (turns out, it’s tough to learn hands-on techniques over zoom) and in the chaos I was offered a position working back at Macalester just weeks before the world shut down. The time warp that was the pandemic allowed me to test out a career in higher education, adopt a puppy, go on many wild adventures with said puppy, and ultimately feel the call to return to nature pull me out of my position at Mac. And yes, I did also finish my massage program. Eventually.
In 2021, after a particularly powerful trip to the North Shore, I quit my job at Mac and stepped into massage therapy full-time. A shout-out to the incredible woman behind Halo Healing Therapies, Alisia, who has been there for me every step of the way in building out my dream. I owe her immense gratitude until the end of times. Her placement on my path was nothing short of a stroke of divinity.
As I started building Aether on the side, I quickly became aware of one thing: there was SO much I didn’t know. The healing work came easy, it always had. But the business acumen? Oof. I needed help. Fortunately, my path had led me to an Indian restaurant in Portland, OR, where I was chatting with my friend and mentioned the infamous intersection of 50th + France. The man at the next table over immediately knew we were talking about Minneapolis, and as it happened, he was looking for a massage therapist to come into the office as a part of their wellness programming. We agreed to work together, and became fast friends. As a successful CEO and now-author, he was poised to step into a mentorship role for me, gifting me the nudge that I needed to continue on. I expressed my concerns about business to Rob, telling him I had been considering going back to school for my MBA. Twelve hours later, his recommendation letter for my application (that, to be clear, did not exist yet) was in my inbox. Seven days later, I was enrolled at Augsburg University in their Masters in Business Administration program. A few weeks after that, classes began.
Not a month into my program one thing became clear: there was so much MORE that I didn’t know. I felt in over my head. My professors and classmates were all kind, knowledgeable, and engaged. But I didn’t really feel like I *fit*. Everyone else was working a corporate job, or at least working for someone in general, and most all of our examples and discussions were centered around what I called “real” businesses. I was building the bus while I was driving it. I was lost, but doing my best to keep up. I learned that my previous method of decision making was not all bad: gut instincts are supremely powerful. My intuition was telling me that it was time, but I was terrified. I trusted my gut, and I made the decision: it was time to work for myself–completely and entirely.
I told my boss at Halo, giving her (and me) three month’s notice that I was leaving. I combed marketplace and craigslist for spaces, dreamt big, and instantly started hitting roadblocks. Zoning laws, taxes, homework, scheduling software, hardwood flooring restoration, and more. I worked all day giving massages, and then into the night renovating my space. I made mistakes, I learned to ask for (lots) of help, and I slept very little. I worried a lot. There are seasons to a business, and that was a season of putting my head down and hustling. It paid off, and all of the seemingly insurmountable challenges did, in fact, resolve themselves. In one year, my client list went from 50 to over 100 people. I hired my first team member – another chance meeting, this one in an elevator. Divinely guided.
Now, just over two years in, Aether has a robust team of four massage therapists, second treatment room, virtual moment studio, and IRL yoga and sound bath studio. We were even just ranked as #1 Massage Therapist in Northeast Minneapolis (by Business Rate, based on recent Google reviews). Perhaps most fittingly, I have started leading retreats to the place where this all started — Voyageurs National Park. In the place that was so magical for me, so formative to who I am and how I live my life, I now get to hold space for people as they tap into their intuition. We escape into the scent of pines, lapping of waves, and call of loons under starlight so that we can allow our true Selves to shine through unhindered. It’s all about taking an opportunity to connect with yourself so that you can step forward aligned with what wellness looks like for you. After all, we are here for wellness and healing for body and being.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Initially when I applied for my license, the city denied it because of zoning regulations. I applied in May of 2023, and there were new zoning laws set to go into effect in July, but they hadn’t been formally adopted yet. those new laws would have allowed for massage in my building automatically, but since they weren’t in place yet, I needed a deviance from the city in order to practice. It was a messy, complicated situation and I thought I would have to bail. after hours of phone calls and emails, working with our local councilman was the best option and he was able to push the variance through for me!
There has been a seasonality to our massage business that initially surprised me – summers are very slow for us, as our community is largely enjoying the great outdoors at weddings, cabin weekends, barbecues, and sand volleyball games. The yoga studio “opened” this summer, which turned out to be a failur–I mean learning opportunity ;). Understanding our trends has been a challenge, simply because you need time to develop them, and we’re still such a young company.
The biggest ongoing challenge has been balance. I love my work, but it’s not all that I want to do. When I set out, I was full of determination and grit that pushed things to happen pretty quickly for my industry. I have always been one to chase the next thing, and building Aether has been a yo-yo of that kind of momentum balanced with a slow, deliberate nurturing. I want to have a slow, easeful morning sometimes. Read a book. Go on vacation! Creating those boundaries for myself has been difficult. Luckily, my clients and my team are fantastic and support a healthy balance through understanding and flexibility, so the obstacle is only as high as I build it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Aether Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Aether is a sustainable wellness studio offering massage therapy, energy work, yoga, sound baths, and retreats. We are here to support your wellness and healing for body and being, in our studio and beyond!
Our massage and bodywork clients know us best for blending deep tissue with a little magic to create an experience that leaves you melted in the best way possible. Our therapists blend techniques from Swedish massage, craniosacral therapy, trigger point work, shiatsu, reiki, active stretching, and more. Each session is unique and tailored directly for you. We start every session by asking “what are your dreams for today?” to create space for physical goals, energetic shifts, and anything and everything that may come forwards.
Aether’s yoga and sound bath studio is centered around Five Element Theory (from Traditional Chinese Medicine) with a sixth class format that is our namesake: AETHER –a full sound bath experience. FIRE classes infuse vinyasa yoga with strength training, while WOOD is a classic vinyasa yoga to encourage physical and mental flexibility and strength (think, tree!) METAL is a breathwork practice designed to refine your energy and sharpen your mental acuity, and WATER is a slow flow style to encourage fluidity in your body and mind. EARTH is our nourishing and grounding restorative practice, paired with sound healing to swaddle your nervous system and allow for deep rest.
Our retreat programming is centered around creating an experience that makes it easy for attendees to step into their authentic selves. Offerings follow the wheel of the year and honor the energy of the seasons: Root in the fall, Replenish in the winter, Rise in the spring, and Radiate in the summer. No matter the season, we take care of every single detail so that all you have to do is get yourself there, take a deep breath, and settle in. Experiences include wholesome meals, intentional movement, immersive sound healing, herbal guidance, exploration and play in the wilderness, and ample free time to reflect.
All of our products are as natural, nontoxic, and sustainable as possible. The founder has a degree in sustainability and infuses it into everything — organic cotton sheets, premium jojoba oil, and fresh spring water are some examples. We even save our dryer lint to make fire starters with! We support as many small businesses as possible and opt to make, reuse, and purchase used goods when appropriate. Examples include hiring a local artist to paint our signs instead of using a large vinyl printer, purchasing and restoring reclaimed flooring to install in our spaces, and partnering with other local businesses to host workshops and create community.
Our bodywork pricing model is unique because we use a set rate (like chiropractors and acupuncturists) that already includes sales tax and “industry-standard gratuity” as well as any of our enhancement tools (like hot stones, red light therapy, and cupping). Basically, our prices look really high, but once you take a competitors price, add sales tax, enhancement costs and a twenty percent tip, you’re getting to the same number. Our choice has been to communicate that up front to create an easy and supportive checkout process for both clients and therapists — no surprise charges for our clients, and no praying for tips to make ends meet for our team.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Intuition. At the end of the day, we know the most about ourselves and our path and only we can make the decisions that are best for us. The ability to trust my gut has gotten me into the best places. It has never failed me when I truly listen. That is what Aether’s mission is at its core: create space for people to discover and honor their intuition.
Pricing:
- one hour massage – $180
- 90 minute massage – $270
- massage memberships save $10/hour
- yoga class drop in $22
- virtual studio $29/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aetherwell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aetherwell/?hl=en
